Necropunk is a game and setting that offers a look into what it means to be human. It will be, in the strictest sense, a roleplaying game set in a fantastic future where science has become indistinguishable from magic and necromancy is the flavor of the day.

A Fantasy Setting in a SciFi World

Our goal is to create an approachable, unique, science fiction setting that feels like a fantasy setting. We want someone who understands the dynamics of a fantasy game to understand the dynamics of necropunk. Because of boneskin, melee weapons have made a reappearance on the field of combat. While there are no “magic” powers, we have psychic abilities that, at least in part, function in a similar way to familiar magic-based concepts (scrying, anti-magic fields, use magic device). Space travel is designed to mimic overland travel (albeit on a larger scale) in a more medieval sense. Ship to ship combat in space is designed to mimic ship to ship combat on water. We drew direct parallels that allow a wider audience to comprehend the universe we are describing.

A few examples:

-Welshen Qu’em hearken back to monks or samurai. They have a heavy reliance on discipline, focus on martial arts, have a strong adherence to a tradition/moral/spiritual code, they are focused on master of the self, and employ different schools.

-Sentinels recall a warrior or ranger. They are strong generalist combatants who rely on training, versatility, and equipment selection.

-The Magdaleeno clan is heavily influenced by the concept of skirmishers, rogues, and ninja. They employ a number of surprising, disruptive, and even dishonorable tactics/weapons to achieve the same ends as their counterparts.

-The Necromancers Guild is very “wizard” like. Their companies are almost like wizard towers and their crafting of necrotech hearkens back to the creation of magic items (“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”). They have a never ending quest for knowledge and will go to great lengths to discover secrets that can grant them power.
Only human …

We intentionally made all races human in origin. The only differences are political/social in nature. This is to keep the message and theme of the game focused on political/social issues rather than actual physical racial issues (“The dwarves fight the elves because the elves don’t have beards. They are too proud to apologize and the dwarves are too stubborn to stop.” has no place in Necropunk).

We do not intend to ever employ sapient aliens. The only aliens we intend to employ are “beasts” as enemies for the players. They will be our analogue to mythical creatures employed in traditional fantasy works. Our bestiary will draw heavily from mythological sources and where magic or mythological abilities exist- we will use technological/aberrant biological counterparts.“